On Your Side: Dangerous Mile Markers

Thursday, July 26, 2018

News 12 @ 6 O’clock / NBC 26 at 7

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) -- Land or sea, Jayme Durand spends a lot of time behind the wheel.

Liz: "Do you think you are a defensive driver?"

Jayme: "Well, I race boats. So yeah.”

But every day it's the five-mile stretch along Interstate 20 where Jayme spends most of her time.

Jayme: "Sometimes, sometimes twice a day."

Durand's daily route to work takes her through the most deadly mile markers in 79 miles of interstate.

Liz: "What's up with the bridge?"

Jayme: "I don't know, I just hope I don't get caught going with the 18 wheelers ending up in the water."

Our I-TEAM found the most crashes in our area happen while crossing the river at the state line. Last year alone there were 192 car accidents from exit 199 in Georgia to exit 1 in South

Carolina.

In that two-mile stretch, that would be one crash every two days.

Jayme: "There have been multiple times that I will flip around and go all the way back through town to get on Riverwatch."

The other mile markers that are the most dangerous:

190 Grovetown (63)

194 Belair road (58)

196 Bobby Jones Expressway(55)

So what makes these mile markers the most dangerous? A lot of it has to do with the time of day and day of the week.

Jayme: "This week, yesterday, last week, Wednesday or Thursday. So it is a good bit. Typically 6:30 to 7, but it can range anywhere from 5:30 to 7:30 That's when

I see the most wrecks."

She's not far off. We found the peak time for accidents happen between 4 and 5 o'clock.

Rush hour.

The deadliest day, Friday, when we are all rushing to get home for the weekend.

Jayme: "Then they shut both lanes down and that makes the back up worse."

She tries to avoid accidents through traffic alerts on her phone but even then will run behind.

It's definitely frustrating -- even for someone who doesn't spend her free time finishing first.

Things will only get worse at this stretch of interstate next year when the state starts roadwork. The good news you have plenty of time to test alternate routes.